A variety of exit devices are commonly used for operating and opening doors. Generally, exit devices include a latching mechanism having a bolt or bolts, which secure the door to a doorframe to lock the door in a closed position. By activating the exit device, a user can retract the bolt from the doorframe and open the door. Commonly, exit devices are installed in doors located in commercial and public buildings and therefore are designed to be operated by a large number and variety of people, including children, the elderly, and the disabled. Therefore, exit devices that are easy to operate and require minimal strength and skill to operate are highly desirable. Additionally, exit devices are often designed to facilitate rapid building egress, such as, for example, during a fire, a natural disaster, or other similar emergency. Exit devices commonly include readily accessible actuators for use in an emergency by panicked or scared people.
Moreover, exit devices are often located on the fronts of buildings and in business entryways. It is therefore desirable that the exit devices be aesthetically pleasing and not detract from the appearance of the door or the building. Typically, exit devices are secured to doors using fasteners, including bolts, nuts, screws, and the like. Additionally, custom designed mounting brackets, rails, and the like are often installed on the doors. In some cases, the fasteners and mounting brackets can be unsightly. It is therefore desirable to minimize the number of fasteners and mounting brackets used and to locate the fasteners and mounting brackets in unobtrusive places on the door and the exit device.
Generally, exit devices are purchased separately from the doors and are installed in doors as the doors are being mounted in their respective doorframes. During installation, holes are generally drilled in the door and in the exit device to accommodate the fasteners. To properly mount the exit devices, the holes must be precisely located and threaded. The fasteners and mounting brackets are typically separate from the exit device and consequently are easily misplaced or lost during the installation and shipping processes. Moreover, in some cases the doors must be at least partially disassembled before the exit device can be properly installed.
In addition to the above mentioned design considerations, exit devices that are durable, easy to manufacture, easy to assemble, and inexpensive are highly desirable for obvious reasons.